National Group Builds Custom Home in Cheshire for Injured Veteran

After serving the country, a military vet was served by others.

U.S. Marine Corporal Roger Rua was welcomed into a new home built to accommodate his needs.

From automatic doors to lowered kitchen countertops, Homes for Our Troops worked hard to make Rua's life a little easier.

"Spasms kind of come out of nowhere, and the last thing I need to be on the stairs with a baby with a spasm," said Rua.

Rua was serving in Afghanistan for five months when a vehicle he was riding in drove over an improvised explosive device. The blast fractured his spine, femur, and sternum. His doctors didn't know if he would ever walk again. 

"I couldn't feel or move anything from the chest down initially. The road was long, but we got through it together and since then, I just continue to recover," said Rua.

He defied the odds after just four months of physical therapy. 

It has been more than 10 years since the injury and Rua still deals with pain in his lower back. But he isn't going through it alone - he has his wife and two kids by his side. 

Saturday marked the start of a new life in their new home.  

"We want veterans to be where they are comfortable because we don't envision them ever having to move again," said Bill Ivey, Executive Director for Homes for Our Troops.

Ivey, a U.S. Army veteran of more than 30 years, says he is not only building homes but rebuilding lives. His non-profit allows veterans to pick anywhere they want to live in the country. They must also approve the plot of land before the home is built.

He says the support doesn't stop once the families move in.

"The main thing is what can we do to help them once they're in the home. So, we stay in contact with veterans for life," said Ivey.  

Rua's home is the fourth Homes for Our Troops home built in Connecticut. After Saturday, there will be nearly 350 HFOT homes around the country. Another 72 projects are underway nationwide so that veterans have a place to call home.